"A Merged Hydride/OMVPE Expitaxial Growth System for InGaAsP Alloys

We propose to design, construct, and optimize a novel vapor phase crystal growth system for semiconductor optoelectronic devices which combine the best features of organometallic (OM) vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) and hydride VPE. The system will use OM compounds such as triethyl gallium (TEG) and trimethyl indium (TMI) mixed with HC1 to produce volatile chlorides in a hydride-style hot wall reactor. These two features will allow the growth of very thin, abrupt interface layers (an OMVPE advantage) with a high growth rate (about 10um/hr) and low arsine comsumption in a hot-wall system (a hydride advantage). In Phase I, we will (1) modify an existing vapor phase reactor by designing and installing a rapid gas switching manifold, (2) grow 3 nm alternate layers of In.53Ga.47As/InP to demonstrate thin-layer growth capability, and (3) grow and fabricate a 3 um thick In.53Ga.47As detector structure to demonstrate thin-layer growth capability, and (3) grow and fabricate a 3 um thick In.53Ga.47As detector structure to demonstrate overall quality of the materials. We will also submit a design for a compact, low-cost, but flexible merged system. In Phase II, we will build and optimize this growth system - including a safer arsine delivery - and fabricate thin-layer multi-quantum-well devices including 1.55 um DFB lasers and strained-layer infrared detectors.